On Sept 15, Karnataka HC dismissed pleas, affirming interfaith festival participation doesn’t violate constitutional rights.
NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court will on Friday (September 19) hear a petition challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order upholding the State government’s decision to invite Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara festival.
The plea, filed by petitioner H S Gaurav, argues that Mushtaq, a non-Hindu, has been allowed to perform the Agreshwari puja before Goddess Chamundeswari, which he claims violates Hindu religious practices and risks offending devotees. The petitioner further alleged that Mushtaq has made “anti-Hindu” remarks in the past, making her selection as chief guest inappropriate.
On September 15, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi of the Karnataka High Court dismissed similar petitions, ruling that “interfaith participation in religious festivals is not against the Constitution.” The judges said no fundamental rights under Articles 25 and 26 were infringed, adding that Dasara festivities, though rooted in tradition, are organised annually by the State as cultural events.
The High Court had also noted that dignitaries from varied backgrounds — scientists, educationists, authors, and freedom fighters — have previously inaugurated the festival. It emphasised that Mushtaq, a 2025 Booker Prize winner, lawyer, and social activist with a record of public service, was invited in recognition of her accomplishments.
Challenging this view, the petitioner told the Supreme Court that performing rituals before the sanctum sanctorum is an “essential religious practice” protected under Article 25 and cannot be altered by State authorities.
